Into the Clear

There’s a question and a reasoning that’s been playing on my mind lately, and it’s almost been standing there with a red banner saying “Hello!! Read this message loud and clear…do you hear me?? Then, when you really get it…go out and SHARE it!!”.

And so my question to you is….

“Would you consider going for a day without a bath/shower? What about a week? Or even maybe……a month??”

I can see you writhing now, I’ve gotten under your skin (which by the way is really, really dirty if you haven’t noticed?? Take a bath will you!! lol), and it’s amazing that most of us would not consider going even a day (well maybe there is that odd day…..) without a ritual to keep our bodies clean. It’s second nature to most of us and allows for a renewal of energy on many levels. There’s almost a metaphorical sense of washing all our troubles away as we start or finish the day, making way for whatever is meant to come our way. I’ll come back to this question later in the article….hold that thought…..

Clearing and cleaning is an interesting process. If you think about it on the material level, and you believe that everything around you is made up of energy, you also come to realize that everything you own or that is in your presence owns a little piece of you in one way or another.

I can honestly attest to this lesson in so many ways as we prepare ourselves for our next adventure which brings us back to the Middle East for the next “wave” of life. We made a conscious decision when things felt a bit uncertain (my husband was recently out of work and I am still in the throes of making the brand “Nektar” encompass all that I envision it to be!) that we needed to make “space” in our lives by clearing the heavy material things around us. With a potential move looming, it was decided that the best way forward was to start fresh by selling or giving away nearly everything we have acquired for the past 11 years and allow ourselves some breathing space.

And so the clearing began on a physical level…..

I wish I had started taking photo’s at the very beginning….like the day the movers unpacked the 40ft high top container here over 2 years ago and I cried when I realized that despite moving into a bigger home, we still could not fit everything in and ended up with a garage full to the ceiling…talk about overwhelming!!

And so the clearing began, and 2 years later led us to a decision to really go for it….get rid of nearly everything we own (which has taken nearly 3 months!!) and just keep the basics (for us it’s our 3 sofa’s that we’ve had since we were married, our beds, and some boxes filled with the minimum of what we need to start over….towels/linens/clothing/kids books, and toys….). I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to claim (and certainly not proudly!) that we’ve hauled at least 50 large bags out of here to the Salvation Army and rubbish dump alike!

And with every bag that left, and every piece of furniture (some were harder than others to let go!) that went out gave a different emotional response from relief, to fear, elation, contentment, and grief.

Many times the items have gone and I have found myself in a heap poring over photographs (culling them down to what we really want to keep), perusing the archives of our life, and bawling like a baby. Questioning myself if this is the right decision, while at the same time having a deep understanding that this is part of the next phase of our life……..allowing for new energy to enter.

With every salty tear that falls, come with it a deeper understanding and clarity in the well of my soul.

Which brings me back to my original question……

“Would you go for a day, a week, or a month without cleansing your physical temple?”

A resounding “NOOOOOO!!” is hitting me from all angles as I type this….I’m feeling the disdain….but it’s not without some serious thought to the next question….

“And so if it’s absolutely VITAL that you keep your body clean, why don’t you allow your soul to experience the same satisfaction and allowance for new energy?”

We wouldn’t consider keeping our body dirty, and not even our physical surroundings and environment, yet we are relentless in allowing our inner being to be cleansed with a good old fashioned cry once and a while.

For those of you who have children, think of this…….(I will raise my hand first, guilty as charged!!)

How many times have you asked your kids to “calm down” or “stop crying!!!!”. It’s almost second nature to most of us parents, and even when a friend or family member lets down their guard and sheds a tear or two, we feel uncomfortable and rush to “remedy” the problem by trying to “help” that person stop crying. Of course this is a broad generalization, but usually is the case with most people.

If tears are the “soap and water” that wash away the residual emotions bottled up in our inner being or soul, then why do we feel the need to stop them?

Emotional cleansing is absolutely KEY to our overall wellbeing and a good cry is a natural way to achieve this. Our children look to us for the acknowledgement that it’s ok to let go (this comes so naturally to them and they cannot understand when we go against what is natural for them just because it is a conditioned behavior for us to feel uncomfortable with these type of emotions).

I have learned so much in this clearing process on so many levels. It has been really humbling and I am so grateful to have been able to experience so many new things coming into my life as a result of “letting go” of old “things”, behaviors, and patterns. I have a long, long road to travel but I feel I have a better idea of who I am (after removing all the stuff!) and what I really want in this great life we live!!

So, next time you have the urge to cry, let it out!! Go on and do that “ugly cry” that Oprah’s always talking about! You never know what you might let go of and what gifts it might bring in return……..